Founding Engineer

echelon; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 265,000; Full time

Job summary

Echelon is seeking a founding-tier full-stack/backend engineer to help build and scale the core platform. You will own APIs, microservices, and orchestration across the AWS stack, working closely with customers to map systems and deliver end-to-end solutions. You’ll collaborate directly with the founders to shape product direction and company culture, with high ownership and equity as part of a fast-growing startup.

Location: SF. Start date: Immediate.

Qualifications

• 3–8 years of full-time backend or full-stack experience in fast-paced environments.
• Strong backend fundamentals in Typescript, REST APIs, and SQL.
• Cloud infrastructure experience (Azure, AWS) and containerization (Docker).
• Experience integrating enterprise systems (Workday, NetSuite, Salesforce, Jira).
• Bonus: Agentic workflows/AI SDKs, ML orchestration.

Responsibilities

• Build and scale the core Echelon platform — APIs, microservices, and orchestration systems.
• Design and deploy across our AWS stack (ECS Fargate, RDS, S3, CloudFront, Terraform).
• Integrate with complex enterprise systems (Workday, NetSuite, Salesforce, Jira).
• Collaborate directly with customers to map systems and deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Shape product direction and company culture as a true founding team member.

Skills

Backend development

Typescript

REST APIs

SQL

Cloud infrastructure

Docker

Terraform

OAuth/SSO

Tools

Azure

AWS

Docker

Terraform

Postgres

Job description

About Echelon

Echelon is the AI operating system for corporate transformation — your agentic command center for running a leaner, faster, and more aligned business.

We integrate directly with enterprise systems (HRIS, ERP, CRM, CLM, Email, etc.) to create a live map of people, contracts, and goals — then our AI engine recommends what to do next: where to rightsize, where to invest, and where AI can replace or augment workflows.

Backed by [REDACTED Tier-1] and [REDACTED Tier-1]. Part of OpenAI’s Grove pilot. Live pilots with PE, government, and enterprise customers.

What You’ll Do

• Build and scale the core Echelon platform — APIs, microservices, and orchestration systems.
• Design and deploy across our AWS stack (ECS Fargate, RDS, S3, CloudFront, Terraform).
• Integrate with complex enterprise systems (Workday, NetSuite, Salesforce, Jira, etc.).
• Collaborate directly with customers to map systems and deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Shape product direction and company culture as a true founding team member.

Tech Stack

• Python / FastAPI
• React / TypeScript
• AWS (ECS Fargate, RDS, S3, CloudFront)
• Terraform
• Docker
• Postgres

Who You Are

• High-agency builder who moves fast and takes full ownership.
• Experienced with 0→1 environments and comfortable wearing multiple hats.
• Confident in high-intensity, customer-facing settings.
• Pragmatic about tradeoffs, opinionated about great systems.
• Obsessed with shipping polished, production-grade work quickly.

Ideal Background

• 3–8 years of full-stack or backend experience at a fast-paced startup or top-tier company.
• Strong backend fundamentals (Typescript, REST APIs, SQL) and cloud infrastructure experience (Azure, AWS, Docker, Terraform).
• Experience integrating enterprise systems or working with OAuth/SSO.
• Bonus: experience with Agentic workflows, Agent Frameworks (AI SDK, Agents SDK, etc.), RAG pipelines, or ML orchestration.

Why Echelon

We’re early, funded, and shipping fast — already live with paying pilots and inbound demand. You’ll work directly with the founders (ex-Meta, Citadel) and help define the product, architecture, and DNA of the company.

This is a founding-tier role with high ownership, high intensity, and meaningful equity.

Compensation: Competitive salary + meaningful equity

Start Date: Immediate

Location: SF

Compensation

The base pay range for this role is $160,000 – $265,000 per year.